Fact: 753,000 Wisconsin residents receive Medicare
Needs of Medicare population (not an inclusive list):
- Health and medical. Problem oriented health care system.
Medicare does not cover preventive care, pharmaceuticals, annual physical
exams, eye or feet care, dental, etc. Few elderly in HMOs. Few HMOs available
to elderly. (Medicare Select covers approximately 30,000 elderly in WI. Two
to three HMOs in Milwaukee area to begin elderly HMO services, late 1995.)
- Transportation. Sometimes expensive, particularly in rural
areas.
- Social. Isolation of elderly is problematic.
- Limited, fixed, disposable income. For elderly women, 23%
of income goes to health care; for elderly men,
- 13% of income goes to health care (excluding Part B &
supplemental insurance).
- Housing. Particularly problematic when unable to live safely
independently.
- Nutrition. Studies indicate people who eat alone eat poorly.
Elderly generally in poor nutritional state.
Other facts:
- Elders without daughters enter nursing homes at 3 times
the rate of elders with daughters
- 8% of elderly live below the poverty level; 15% live <150%
PL; 30% live <200% PL.
- 85% of care to elderly is provided by families; remaining
15% require long term care
- 20% of elderly population use 80% of Medicare.
- 1995 American Hospital Association survey results: 68% of
respondents oppose Social Security and/or Medicare cuts.
- Medicare cuts affect all of us.
- Broad sweeping cuts across programs creates inter-generational
competition.
Proposed legislative solutions:
- Means testing. Not supported by elderly groups
- Progressive taxation of those elderly with more income
- Broaden base of money going into support of Medicare
- Seek compromise on proposed 7-year solution to Medicare
shortfalls
- Managed care. Positive encouragement in elderly reaction
to this.
- Vouchers for elderly to finance own health care.
- Delay in retirement age and/or eligibility age for Medicare
(to 67 years?).
Other legislative issues to affect elderly:
- Proposed cuts in low income heat assistance
- In Wisconsin, 12,000+ elderly are expected to be denied
Medicaid benefits due to program changes
- Cuts in Title 8 and Title 7 which support medical and nursing
education could limit professional training of persons who care for elderly
and others
Need to present a broad health policy for elderly:
- Policy that does not pit elderly against child advocates
who also have needs and many of whom live in poverty.
- Policy that effects some deficit reduction, but considers
all funding reductions to programs for the elderly on the cutting table
- Policy that provides equitable and fair reimbursement to
qualified primary care providers, whatever their professional credentialing,
for delivery of services to elderly.
- Policy that creates an equitable system of reimbursement
to managed care organizations regardless of geographic location and regional
costs.
- Policy that does not rule out a "generous" means
testing based on gross income of elderly, which assures affordable health
care to those with limited income.
- Policy that creates choices for Medicare recipients in determining
their best possible health care.
- Policy that ensures educational/clinical opportunities for
new primary care practitioners.
Compiled by the Consortium
for Primary Care in Wisconsin, Policy & Finance Committee, October,
1995.
Last Updated:
5/1/02
